


Expecting The Unexpected

by aise



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Adultery, Angst, F/M, Family, Fluff, Happy Ending, Original Character(s), Romance, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 04:31:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aise/pseuds/aise
Summary: Lin and Tenzin have broken up and Tenzin is moving on with a woman ready repopulate the Air Nation. Drama ensues when goodbyes to an old flame lead to an unplanned pregnancy. Pre-LOK AU. Rating for sex in chapter 1 and straight up smut in chapter 11.





	1. Chapter 1

”Fuck. Fuck,” is what Lin thought to herself. She had realized something in her bending was off. The flow of energy in her body felt different, as if something in herself had fundamentally changed and reformed the delicate pathways that made the earth do her bidding. This was the first warning sign.

The second sign was nausea that came and went. She was not used to being sick. Being weak was not her thing.

Subconsciously she knew what was happening to her. Coming to terms with it, however, took her longer than a rational mind like hers would like to admit. When she finally caved in and went to get checked for what she already knew, she was almost three months along. Not yet showing, but far enough to leave no traces of doubt on her condition.

Lin had not planned to get pregnant. Ever. She had toyed with the idea when she was faced with the raw reality that producing a child would be the only way to stay with the man she loved more than herself. While the man also loved her more than himself, he knew Lin would never be ready, and he did not love her more than he felt indebted to his father and his all but extinct culture. At the age of thirty-seven, Lin could not have been less ready for the realization that she was alone with a baby she never asked for.

She had practiced the deed required for a pregnancy countless times with the same man she had done it for the first time with. The same man, who had chosen his duty over love, had come to her the night before his wedding. Their shared notions of goodbyes turned into heated touches, demanding kisses and urgent strokes. They had both cried before he kissed her with all of the bitterness of leaving behind someone you love. She answered with all of the pent-up anger of someone left behind. With a fluid motion she hopped on his lap like she had done so many times before. He kissed and nipped her neck and rubbed her buttocks, inviting her closer.

The heat in her body was unbearable when he tugged off her shirt. She lifted up from the embrace she had thought was specifically molded to fit every curve of her body in order to rid herself of her trousers and underwear. When she released him from the confines of his trousers, he looked at her with eyes clouded with lust and something strange she couldn’t really explain. She slid her body on him with practiced ease, and for a while everything felt like it used to be. She reveled in the short pants and quiet whimpers he made when she rocked her body, him sheathed deep in it. When he came and grunted her name to her ear, she felt the need to cry. Nothing was like it used to be.

When they got dressed, he told her he was sorry for what he had to do. And when he turned to leave, he silently whispered the three words that used to matter more than any force in the entire universe. She did not answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Lin resented the baby. She resented the way it got its beginning. She did not want to be pregnant. The child reminded her every second of every day about the man she could not have. She even went as far as purchasing the herbs needed to rid herself of the growing life inside her, but eventually decided against it. After all, the child was all she had left from who she for two decades thought was the love of her life. As much as it pained her, having a part of him always as her own brought her relief on the nights she thought she couldn’t go on.

Four months along, Lin had pushed the pregnancy to the back of her mind as effectively as she could and buried herself to work. However, every morning she got dressed for work, she was faced with the inevitable fact that she would not be able to hide her slowly but steadily growing belly much longer. People would talk. She had decided she would let the reporters write what they pleased and issue a statement when she wouldn’t be able to work anymore. The thought of having to leave work made her resent the baby even more.

She had not thought about what she would tell the man she still loved, who was now also the father of her child. And married to a woman sixteen years his junior whose only task was to bear his children. The situation made her head hurt. She wanted to believe she was strong enough to do this on her own but deep down she was not sure. Her pride would never allow her to admit her weakness, her need for someone else to be there for her. Deep down, all she wanted was the father of her child to tell her she would be fine. Even further down, she wanted her mom to hold her while she cried. But if someone ever asked or implied this to her, she would hurl a few rocks at them and tell them off like nobody’s business. 

At five months Lin was very visibly showing. She had surprised even herself with the innovative ways she had manipulated her metal armor to disguise her growing belly, but five months pregnant she had to admit her defeat and accept she was too far along to keep her secret. At work she only explained that she would take an indefinite leave when she was too big to comfortably work the field. She never told about the circumstances around her pregnancy and no one ever asked.

Six months along, her pregnancy made the headlines. That’s when everything changed. The relative peace she had enjoyed was replaced with constant hassle around her. The reporters started buzzing around the station and even following her home, pestering her about her future plans and the father of her baby. She never gave a comment aside from the formal statement declaring her future maternity leave.

Also, sixth months into her pregnancy, Tenzin found out.


	3. Chapter 3

Tenzin attended the council meeting like any other day. The dull normalcy of it was quite soothing to him even. After the tumultuous events that led to his marriage all he wanted was normalcy. Loving Pema was so easy, unlike the turbulent and explosive love he had had with Lin, that it took a long while to accept the good thing happening to him. Also, the ever-present guilt on what had transpired between him and Lin on the night before his wedding nagged and tugged him at the back of his mind. After six months, he felt he was finally ready to move forward, let himself enjoy his marriage and start building his life with Pema. Guilt or without guilt. Yet the quite simple words “should we address Chief Beifong’s upcoming maternity leave and its effect on the City’s defense?” were enough to tear down all of the feeble peace of mind he had allowed himself.

“Chief Beifong’s… maternity leave?” he asked, disbelief raising his deep baritone to something unrecognizable and deeply uncharacteristic.

“Yes, did you not read the paper this morning? Beifong will retire from duty for an indefinite time in the near future and have the baby.” 

“Is Lin pregnant?”

The Fire Nation’s representative watched Tenzin with an incredulous look in her eyes. She had no idea why this was so hard for him to grasp. “Yes, that’s what we’re discussing, Councilman.” 

After that he zoned out. Inside him raged a whirlwind of emotions ranging from bitterness to jealousy deeper than the ocean. He could not believe after everything they went through together Lin would readily have a child with someone else. All he had ever asked from her, begged even, was to have his, and she had refused. The only sensible comment he managed to pull out of himself was the offer to check up on Chief Beifong and inquire her plan for the police force during her leave.

When he arrived at the station Tenzin hid the turmoil inside him behind the cool mask of courtesy. He was a spiritual leader and keeping his rampant emotions in check was what he was supposed to do. His job was to be a calming presence. He just didn’t feel calm or even present in the moment, really, at all.

His resolve broke down immediately as Lin’s office door closed behind him and he laid his eyes on her confused face. He eyed her, sitting casually behind her desk, more intensely than he had ever looked at her before.

“Stand up,” he ordered.

“What? What do you think you’re doing, Tenzin?” Her voice conveyed both her surprise and annoyance. Inside, she felt her blood turn to ice. He knew. And he’d come to ask her the questions she didn’t want to answer.

“You know why. I want to see if the headlines are true.”

With that, she slowly but defiantly rose. His eyes darted straight to the very visible bulge on her midsection that her armor embraced. Tenzin stared at her swollen belly as if hypnotized and didn’t utter a word until silent tears started rolling down his cheeks. She schooled her features to her trademark scowl and just hoped her hormone-ridden body would not betray her now.

“How could you?” he finally asked when his eyes fell to the floor. “How could you get pregnant now? Why?”

She was silent for a while. Words escaped her. “I did not plan for this, Tenzin. It just happened. It’s none of your business.” Her tone was not as hard as she intended it to be.

He acted like he had not heard her. “Why did you do this to me? Besides for your love, I only wanted you to want to have our children. When I was forced to move on you decide to have someone else’s child?”

“Tenzin…”

“No, let me talk” he said angrily, tears streaking his face. “Why did you do this to me? To taunt me? Or to get revenge?”

“Tenzin, that’s enough. You can’t just march in here to talk shit about me as you please. This isn’t about you.” She was feeling the anger bubbling in her veins. Despite her heartbreak at Tenzin’s reaction, she would not be treated like this.

“Why, Lin, why?” he almost shouted. She didn’t answer. “At least tell me who the father is. Tell me who you deemed worthy of carrying a child for when clearly I was not enough to be an option.” His voice broke down in the end of the sentence, conveying his hurt and resignation.

Lin knew the question was coming, but Tenzin’s words cut her like a knife. She had originally planned on never telling him. While knowing he would get hurt, Lin thought not knowing would hurt him significantly less than never being able to be a father to the child he had always wanted. But now, seeing Tenzin’s inconsolable state, she felt the defiance melt away. There was no point in fighting over this. She let her shoulders slump and head fall down when she quietly answered him. “You.”

Tenzin blinked once. Twice. “What?” was the only thing he got out of his mouth. He stared at her eyes wide with disbelief.

She couldn’t look him in the eye. She was ashamed. “The night before the wedding. I haven’t been with anyone else.”

He tried to process this information, his brains failing him. She was pregnant with his child. His flesh and blood. They had together created a new life that would always be the concrete evidence of their love.

Yet the most pertinent emotion in his system was bitterness. Why now? After he had accepted Lin would never love him enough to give him a child and moved on, she had gotten pregnant. Tears pricked his eyes as he slowly fell to his knees on the floor in surrender.

“I had decided never to tell you, you know,” Lin started with a low and quiet voice. “I thought it would be easier for you to go on with your life and have a family with Pema without knowing about this. You know as well as I do that you can never be a father to this baby.”

“But it’s mine. I’m its father,” he whispered.

As much as it pained Lin, she had to make this clear to him. He was only going to hurt more if he let himself go to a place where he imagined being a father to her child. “No, you aren’t. Or you can’t be. You do realize, that your options are accepting the fact that this child will grow up without a father or causing a public scandal by admitting you cheated on your future wife the night before you were going to be married. You cannot be serious if you’re even considering owning this child.”

Tenzin was quiet. Lin saw he was trying his best to wrap his mind around this information and did not push him. After a lengthy silence he only said, “I hate this.”

“I am not too fond of this situation either, Tenzin,” she said, annoyance dancing on the edge of her voice. “I never wanted to have children. I had to make peace with losing you only to get knocked up after you marry someone else. The irony doesn’t escape me.”

“Run away with me.” He didn’t know what he was saying at that point. His mind was in overdrive where only the most primal senses governed his system.

“No, Tenzin.” She kept on repeating his name as if to ground both of them to reality. “As much as I know you want to be there, that’s not a realistic option. I will not have more children. I know you want more. And I can’t put you through the public mess eloping with me would inevitably cause. Get real, Tenzin.”

“I love you Lin.” He was not sure where the confession crept up from, but when he said it he knew it was true. He never wanted to let her go. Despite all the bad times they had before their split, Tenzin always felt a soft, warm hum in his body when he thought of Lin. Loving Pema was easy, yes, but loving Lin was permanent. Consistent. A part of him as much as a limb.

“I think you should go.” Lin felt the lump in her throat and knew she would break any second if Tenzin didn’t leave. She could not handle this right now. This was too much.

Tenzin gave her one pleading look while still kneeled on the floor. When he didn’t receive any reaction, he stood up. As his last effort he tried to come closer to touch Lin, but she stopped him with a motion of her hand. “Don’t. Just go.”

With that, Tenzin hung his head in complete resignation, turned and slowly walked to the door. When he closed it behind him, Lin let the tears pour down.


	4. Chapter 4

Lin left her job when she hit the eight-month mark. Her belly was getting so big and heavy that it strained her lower back excruciatingly when she walked around. There was no way she could work the field anymore and sitting for hours with the never-ending flow of paperwork didn’t do her any good either. 

Although she had been pregnant for a better part of the year and felt the child inside her painfully kick her spine and ribs every now and then, Lin didn’t feel like a mother. She was immersed in guilt over feeling she could ever love the child the way she thought mother was supposed to love her child. Some part of her was already convinced she would be a bad mother before even meeting her baby. 

Her sharp and rational mind did, however, press her to take care of the practicalities concerning the nearing birth. She didn’t want to go to the hospital. She knew she couldn’t manage through the delivery on her own, but she didn’t want to be showcased around on her moment of ultimate vulnerability. No, she wanted to be at home with only a midwife. Preferably a midwife she knew and trusted.

She sent the letter to Kya on the second day of her newfound freedom without the obligations of her job. Lin and Kya had been the best of friends and partners in crime even before the beginning of the ill-fated romance between Lin and Tenzin. Kya had been there for it all, from the small and awkward touches at a Summer party in the beginning to the wrecking of Air Temple Island in the end. Lin knew Kya would be there for her for this as well. Kya could handle this.

Yet, Lin did not know how to start the letter. She was a woman of action, not a woman of carefully contemplated words. After starting, scrapping and starting over a few times, she just wanted to quit and rip the kid out of her body herself. She cursed Tenzin under her breath for the millionth time for making her suffer through this as well.

After a few more trials and errors, she found a wording she was content with. “Dear Kya,” she started, “I’m in deep shit. Do you happen to know a good midwife? I could use one of those in about a month. Love, Chief.”

The unsigned answer arrived in a week. “Already on my way. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Kya herself arrived another week after her response. When Lin opened the door to the brown-skinned woman standing in the hallway, Kya’s eyes widened at the sight of her unfamiliar form. In addition to her heavily pregnant belly, Lin looked like she hadn’t slept properly for a year. “Wow, you’re a mess,” Kya said when she stepped in.

“Yeah, well, not my brightest hour.”

Kya chuckled slightly as she plopped on the couch. “So, how long are you going to keep me waiting? Spill the beans, Chief.”

Lin sighed as she slowly set herself on a chair opposite Kya. A small smirk decorated her lips. “Didn’t the Avatar ever talk to you about the birds and the bees?”

“Ha ha. Who got to your honeypot is what I’m interested in.”

Lin laughed. It felt good to laugh.

“I never really planned to end up like this. It’s quite an embarrassing story.”

“Embarrassing? Now you have my attention.” Kya kept the mood light, but inside she was worried. She knew Lin had explicitly expressed her desire to never have children and she knew how much Lin had sacrificed in order to go the path she wanted. Kya could only guess what Lin was going through and wanted to make the burden of telling her as easy as possible.

Lin took a long breath before she started. “Well, no reason to beat around the bush. I got pregnant the night before Tenzin’s wedding. It’s his.”

This was something definitely Kya didn't expect. She didn’t know what she did expect, but this for sure wasn’t it. Lin and Tenzin? When she sat with her family and watched Tenzin vow his spirit would be eternally devoted to Pema, he was fresh out of Lin’s bed? Her mouth hung open as she stared at Lin.

“Are you going to talk or just stare at me all night?”

Kya snapped out of her shock and answered her. “Let me get this straight. You refused to have kids with Tenzin when you were with him. Then, on the night before his wedding to someone else, you do the dirty with him, get pregnant and now you’re having his kid.”

“In a nutshell. And no, the irony doesn’t escape me.” With this Lin turned her eyes to small table between them, letting sadness set to her mind once again.

“Does he know?” Kya asked tentatively, lightness from her mood drained. The situation was crazy. No wonder Lin wasn’t doing too well.

“Yeah. I told him to stay away.”

“You what?”

“I don’t want this to be any harder than it already is. If he never tells anyone and I never tell anyone, no one will know he has an illegitimate child. Just think about the headlines. I can’t do that to him or this kid.” Lin sighed heavily. Explaining her logic felt strenuous. The whole situation felt strenuous.

Kya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at Lin for a while before going in for the kill. “Lin. You know I love you.” Lin gave her a weird glance. They usually weren’t big on sharing their mutual emotions. “So please, don’t take this the wrong way, but this situation is absurd. Basically, what you’re doing is pushing away the man who has never wanted anything else but to be a father to your kids. I know you see this as you being selfless. But setting yourself up alone with a kid you never wanted and going as far as to denying that kid a loving father just to protect Tenzin’s reputation or career or whatnot is not selfless. It’s crazy. I will support you no matter what you do, but right now you’re being mad.”

Lin blinked a few times. She wanted to be angry at Kya for questioning her and undermining her decisions. But she couldn’t. Kya saw her insecurity and took her hand. “Please, Lin. Talk to Tenzin. Think this through. I know you’ve struggled your whole life with not knowing your dad. Do you want the same for your child?”

That was enough for Lin. She knew Kya was right. Tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes as she processed Kya’s words. Not knowing her father had shadowed her life from childhood up until that very moment and her mother’s consistent refusal to ever talk about it only made it worse. No, no matter how much Lin resented the baby inside her and the whole situation she was in, she wouldn’t want to pass on her own demons. She had to talk to Tenzin, public scandal and her own discomfort be damned.

Kya rose from the couch to close Lin’s softly shaking body in her arms. They were silent for a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

Tenzin had not slept well. Actually, Tenzin had not slept well in a few months. Even when he meditated his focus kept on slipping to the baby his former lover was carrying. He knew Pema was worried about the bags under his eyes and his uncharacteristically tense behaviour. To add to their shared pain, Tenzin hadn’t been able to be intimate with Pema after learning Lin was pregnant with his child. He felt the situation was too complicated to add a potential other pregnancy to the mix. Taking into account the underlying motives for their union, Tenzin knew he broke Pema’s heart every time he softly pushed her inquisitive hand away.

On a day seemingly not any different from the rest of his recent worry-ridden days, his restless noon meditation was interrupted by his sister.   
“Hey there little brother. You look like crap.” Tenzin startled at the unexpected voice behind him and slowly rose from his position on the ground at the large courtyard of Air Temple Island, his attempt at meditation now entirely ruined. Although he was surprised to see Kya, he knew exactly why she was there. Of course she would be there. She walked up to him from the edge of the paved yard and extended her arms to him.

The Island’s courtyard had seen dozens of goodbyes and reunions. However, this one felt different. When the siblings embraced, they both felt the heavy load of what they knew they were about to discuss. “Good to see you Kya. I didn’t know you were in town.”

“Well, now you know. I was summoned by an old friend who needed me.” Tenzin twitched slightly. “Would you have a moment to catch up? Perhaps somewhere private?”

“Sure. Let’s go to your old room.” Tenzin led the way they both knew like the backs of their hands. Tenzin hadn’t touched a thing in Kya’s or Bumi’s old rooms and held on to his father’s open-door policy. The Air Temple Island was their home as much as it was his.

When they reached Kya’s room, she eyed the familiar taupe walls, wooden window frames and red bedspread with slight anxiety. The space gave her safety but what she was about to do with Tenzin was overstepping every boundary they had ever had, and it made her anxious. As teenagers Kya had teased Tenzin about his budding romance with Lin and Tenzin had supported her when she initially came clean to her family about her first girlfriend, but besides those instances they had never discussed the most intimate parts of their lives with each other. For a second Kya wondered why but let the thought pass. She was here for Lin, not for herself.

“So. I suppose you know I’m here to deliver Lin’s baby.”

Tenzin flinched. He knew why she was here, but Kya’s straight-to-business approach took him by surprise. “I figured as much.”

“I had a talk with Lin. I think you should reach out to her and try to fix this mess.”

“Fix this mess? I would like to see you try. She’s pregnant. This is too big a situation to simply fix. And besides, it’s Lin we’re talking about. She’s not the easiest woman to reconcile with. You remember what she tried to do to Pema?”

Kya sighed. She remembered very well how Lin had tried to throw Pema into jail after she heard the acolyte was involved with Tenzin. That was beside the point. “Do you remember what you actually have done to Pema?” Tenzin cringed and his grey eyes shot up to meet Kya’s. “Yes, you are a massive prick, Tenzin, for doing this to Pema. She didn’t ask any of this. But this isn’t really about her right now. You can’t protect her feelings and your own reputation at the cost of your kid.” Tenzin felt a quick jab of anger at Kya’s words. She was being unfair.

“It was Lin who insisted I stayed out of her business. She didn’t give me a choice.”

“What? You talked to her once. Once. I thought you knew her better. Lin is so damn stuck on the idea of always having to be tough, of course she would push you away rather than ask you for something. She cares about you too much to put you through a very public humiliation were this situation ever to come out. She just doesn’t realize that what she sees as a rational and selfless logic is actually only hurting all three of you.”

All three of you. Those words resonated in Tenzin’s mind. There was three of them. Not just Tenzin and Lin, Lin and Tenzin, like they used to be. But Lin, Tenzin and baby. Trying to fit his marriage in that equation felt impossible. His mind was racing and he was lost for words as he propped his elbows to his knees and lowered his head to his hands.

Kya took a deep breath and allowed Tenzin a moment to play through whatever scenarios he was clearly trying to process. “Look. I’m not going to pretend I know what’s going through your head. But just hear me out. Lin needs you. She may not show it but she does. And she is never going to ask you for anything. Still, you need to know she doesn’t want her kid to grow up without a father like she did. Go to her. Talk it out.” Kya’s eyes probed to find Tenzin’s gaze, failing miserably as he groaned against his hands.

“What should I do? Where do I start? Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” His voice betrayed his resignation. All he had wanted for twenty years was a family with Lin. Now that it was a very real possibility, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Why was nothing ever easy with that damn earthbender.

Kya bit her lip while she considered just the right words to nudge him on. After a short silence she answered. “Talk to Pema. Tell her the truth about Lin. That’s a start.”

Tenzin shuddered at the thought. He hated confrontation. This was a special sort of confrontation he never wanted nor expected to deal with. The idea of hurting Pema made his stomach turn. Pema had been the most loving and understanding companion he could have hoped for. Of all the people Tenzin knew, Pema was probably the last one who deserved to be betrayed with such a humiliating way.

When Tenzin didn’t talk Kya continued. “You also need to give some serious thought to what you want. Not what anyone else wants or expects from you, but what you want. I know you want more than one kid and Lin is not likely to give you that. Do you want to be with Lin or do you want to stay with Pema and down the line build a family with her, given that she can forgive this?”

“I want to be with Lin.” The words came out before he could stop himself.

“Do you want Lin more than you feel obligated to dad?” Kya’s voice was quiet and tentative. She knew the question was loaded and made Tenzin uneasy. She decided to ask it anyway. 

Tenzin lifted his eyes from his hands and looked around the small room. The question was the most important one he would ever answer in his whole life. On one hand was the woman he had loved since he was eight and the possibility of raising a family with her. On the other the continuation of his culture. He had stayed up countless times in the wee hours of the morning, sleep escaping him, thinking if Lin’s child was going to be like him. If he chose to be with Lin and their child turned out not to be an airbender, he would take his bending art to his grave. Then again, if Lin gave birth to an airbender and they would not have more children, the child would be gifted the same burden Tenzin had struggled with his whole life. 

“I… I don’t know” was the only honest answer Tenzin could give.

A silence fell between them. After a while Kya rose. “You have a lot to consider. Think this through and talk to Pema. And reach out to Lin. They both deserve it.”

With that statement Kya left and Tenzin was alone, misery his only company.


	6. Chapter 6

After his discussion with Kya, Tenzin waited for four days to confront Pema. He mulled over the different ways it could go and his nerves got to him before he could force himself to actually start the conversation. Twice had he sat down with Pema with an intention to stick his chin out and confess, but two turned out to be the number of his failures to do so. He silently cursed himself under his breath after both instances that left Pema worried and questioning. He felt like the biggest coward on the entire planet. Tenzin was thoroughly familiar with his father’s legacy of running away from difficult situations. Facing problems head on did not sit well with the son either.

On the third time he had gathered enough courage to go sit Pema down, he had a steely resolve to go through with what he had begun. Yet, when again faced with the reality of the situation, his throat was dry, and he was breaking cold sweat. Running away to Earth Kingdom and starting afresh as a humble tea maker in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se had never appeared more appealing. Although he had carefully chosen his words and rehearsed what he would say, he would have rather had painful sticks under his nails for the rest of his life. Or anything else except this.

Tenzin sat Pema opposite him on their bed and took her hands. “Tenzin, what’s going on?” Her voice was laced with worry. She had grown very suspicious with his strange behaviour and was expecting to finally get some answers.

“There’s something I’ve been holding from you. Before I tell you, just let me say that I have never in my life regretted anything more than what I need to explain to you now. And I’m so sorry.” He took a short breath and lifted his gaze to meet hers. He began to talk in a low and steady voice, his grey eyes fixed on her worried face. 

“This is not a fun tale to recite. As you know, I used to be with Lin for two decades before we got together. We share a history and adapting to the reality that she was not the one for me was quite difficult. I chose you for a reason but letting go of the past is not an easy thing to do.” He took a pause to draw in a deep breath. Pema’s eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

“So, before we got married, I wanted to lay mine and Lin’s history to rest. To get closure, if you will. I went to her apartment with an intention to say goodbye. We talked for a while, and… the feeling of nostalgia and the fact that a huge chapter of my life was ending blurred my thinking. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but that night I… I slept with Lin. I’m so sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears and she pulled her hands away from his. He was heartbroken at the sight but willed himself to continue.

“Then, to my surprise, two months ago I learned from the paper that… Lin was with child. She’s due quite soon, I imagine. The child… The child is mine.” That was the end of his rehearsed speech. He watched Pema break into inconsolable sobs. Tenzin reached out to touch her arm but she pulled away.

“Do you love her?” Pema asked in a weak voice through her sobs.

Tenzin considered his answer for a while. After a short silence he said, “I’m afraid I do.”

“Why was I not enough? I wanted to start a family with you and I thought you wanted the same. I only ever loved you.” Her voice came in short pants.

The conversation reminded Tenzin about the one he had with Lin in her study two months ago. The thought added another layer of pain to her misery. “You are enough, Pema. Never think anything else. I wouldn’t have married you if I hadn’t seen you as a mother to my children. You are the easiest person in all four nations to love and live with. I can only dream to be as good as you are. But I’m not.” A slow tear began to roll down his cheek as well. He hated this.

Another silence stretched between them. Tenzin reached to her again and she let him pull her into his arms. As he held her shaking body his heart hurt. Yet, he felt immense relief that the truth was out.

After a long while Pema lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Is this it?”

His voice was soft. “I don’t know, Pema. That’s the only answer I can give you. You have a lot to think about. The only thing I know is that I need to be a father to this child. That will be my priority.”

As Tenzin held Pema through the night, he had a feeling that would be the last night he spent with her.


	7. Chapter 7

Lin woke up groggy. She thought she heard someone knock but couldn’t be sure. The final stretch of her pregnancy had come with restless nights when no position in her bed was comfortable. She was so ready to not be pregnant again.

She heard noises from the living room and was now sure someone was at the door. She heard Kya talking to a deep male voice. Deep male voice… “Tenzin! Fuck!” was her first thought when she connected the dots. Kya had told her she went to see Tenzin and Lin knew he would come knocking on her door sooner or later. Yet, being torn from her shallow and much needed sleep because Tenzin happened to be a morning person annoyed her to no end.

She lifted herself strenuously from her bed and got up. Her walking was a strained waddle, only a shadow of her previous agile step. When she entered the room Kya and Tenzin’s discussion came to an abrupt stop. Their behaviour wasn’t helping with her already tense mood.

“What’s going on here? It’s eight in the morning,” Lin said with a strict tone that was slightly watered down by the traces of sleep still in her voice.

Kya and Tenzin gave each other a quick look before Kya spoke. “Tenzin just came to tell you something. I’m gonna go pick up some breakfast while you two have a talk.” Kya gave Tenzin’s arm a reassuring squeeze and Lin a small smile before she walked out of the room.

As Kya left Lin fixed her eyes on Tenzin. She was still mostly annoyed at being woken up before she was ready but looking at Tenzin’s increasingly nervous face made her slightly anxious as well.

“Why are you here? I thought I was quite clear with you the last time.” Her voice was colder than she meant it to.

“Pema and I are over. I told her everything last night.”

If Lin was expecting something, she didn’t expect this. She slowly lowered herself to sit on her green velvet sofa while she processed the information given to her.

Tenzin’s voice was calm when he spoke again. “Look. I know nothing is easy or simple in this situation. But I’m trying to do the right thing. There is nothing more important to me than to be a father to this child. I want to be there for her. And I want to be here for you. I don’t care about the headlines or what other people might think. This is about you, me and her.” He nodded softly towards Lin’s swollen belly.

Lin was at loss for words. Tenzin had taken control of the situation by talking to Pema without telling her first. She knew she was childish in her delusion that Tenzin would ask for her permission to confess his adultery to his wife, but yet she was aggravated that he had acted on his own in a matter regarding her baby. “Why did you do that without asking me?”

He sighed and resumed his calm tone. “Lin. I know you don’t want your child to grow up without a father. And I don’t want my child to grow up without knowing me. You and I both know this baby could be an airbender. In addition to the pain of knowing my child is out there I would always be on the edge for the day the truth got out. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’m not going to make my child pay for them. And I’m not going to live a lie and pretend I never had a child in the first place. This is how it’s going to be, Lin. I’m not going anywhere.” Tenzin had said his piece. He took a deep breath and waited.

“What if the kid’s not an airbender? What are you going to do then? You’re an idiot if you think this child is going to be the answer to all your problems,” Lin spat with anger in her voice. She didn’t like Tenzin’s straightforward approach to the most complicated of issues.

“I’m not going to love her any less. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but right now I don’t want to think about it. For once, I don’t want to self-sabotage something important to me.” Tenzin didn’t initially consider the undertones his statement might have. But seeing Lin’s eyes widen, he realized the gravity of what he had just said.

The ball was in Lin’s court. They sat in silence for a long time, the air between them electric, until Lin finally spoke. “What does this mean… for us?”

Tenzin considered his answer for a short while. “I don’t know. It can mean what you want for it to mean. But I think we need to start building our relationship mostly as parents and take our time to figure everything out. There is a lot to discuss between us and I don’t want to pressure you to anything.” Tenzin took a knowing risk with his words, but he needed to lay his cards bare. There was too much at stake to hold back. He loved Lin, he always had, and he quite possibly always would. He felt his duty to his race as a painful physical weight on his shoulders, but the earthbender big with his child in front of him was all he had wanted from life. His duty would have to wait, at least until this child was born and his relationship with Lin solved.

Lin processed Tenzin’s words. She had no resolve left. She knew denying Tenzin would hurt all of them more than it would protect her from anger, heartbreak or both. For the first time since she learned she was pregnant, she didn’t resent the baby inside her. With Tenzin, this would be bearable. He would be there for her. She lowered her gaze to her belly and sighed in resignation. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Let’s do this. We’ll figure each other out later. We owe this kid a decent childhood.”

Tenzin was absolutely elated but hid his excitement behind the mask of tranquillity. He smiled at Lin and rose from his seat to sit down next to her and take her hand. “This is the right decision.” He gave her forehead a gentle kiss. A small smile danced on her lips.


	8. Chapter 8

Tenzin came to see Lin on all the sixteen days between their reconciliation and the day her water broke. It was a rainy evening and she was readying herself for bed, groaning silently from the discomfort in her lower back caused by having to stand up the time it took to brush her teeth. Lin had been suffering from painful contractions the whole day and was mentally trying to prepare herself to give birth, always ending up being more afraid. When Tenzin had come over at noon, he had gotten so worried he refused to leave, sure the baby would be born the same day. 

Lin was waddling to the sofa to sit for a while with the overbearing siblings when she felt warm liquid trickling down her feet. Lin processed the strange sensation for a while before she realized exactly what was going on. “Kya...? I think shit’s about to go down tonight,” she said from the hallway, springing both Kya and Tenzin to action.

Kya’s eyes fixed to the puddle forming at Lin’s feet. “Okay Chief, you’re having a baby. Let’s get you to bed.”

She escorted Lin to her bed and ordered her to lie down. Their friendship had always been close and Kya knew Lin trusted her, but it still felt awkward to order her friend to spread her legs to her inquisitive fingers. Lin tried to focus on something else but couldn’t help but be embarrassed by being spread-eagle in front of the sister of a man who took very close interest in the same parts of her to get her into this condition in the first place. The man in question had moved to sit next to her and hold her hand.

“You’re three centimetres dilated, Chief. I have a feeling this might become a long night.” Kya rose from between Lin’s legs and brought a chair for Tenzin and a bucket of water from the kitchen. “We’ll take turns staying up while Lin sleeps. Enjoy your shift, baby brother.” Her eyes flicked to Lin. “And Chief, try to get some sleep.”

Tenzin didn’t budge from her side the whole night. They both drifted in and out of sleep until sunrise, when Lin’s contractions got to the point she thought she would be torn apart from the middle. Kya moved her hands, covered with glowing water, over Lin’s large belly.

“Okay, Chief. When the next contraction comes I will need you to push. Tenzin, you take her hand and don’t say a word unless spoken to.”

After a too short while Lin felt excruciating pressure in her spine and her body coiled as much as it could on the bed. She bid its will, letting nature run its course by pushing with all the strength she had. She had no idea what she was doing, but felt the impulses of her body guide her through it all the while holding Tenzin’s hand. When the next contraction came she screamed in pain.

“I can already see the head, hang in there Chief,” Kya said from the foot of the bed.

When the fourth time to push came, the child left Lin’s body and slid into Kya’s welcoming hands.

When his son gave his first wail to let the world know he was there, Tenzin cried.


	9. Chapter 9

Tenzin was overwhelmed. Tears rolling along his cheeks, he watched Kya gently rub his son clean and wrap him in a large blanket. He was still holding Lin’s hand and smoothing the matted hair on her forehead while his gaze was intently fixed on the smallest of bundles in Kya’s arms. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the infant when he whispered sweet words to the woman who carried and birthed his baby boy. “You did it, you were amazing, he is perfect, I love you,” were among the hushed praises he wanted only her to hear.

After what felt like eternity, Kya asked with a soft voice, “Lin, are you ready to meet your son?”

Tenzin watched Lin nod tiredly and slightly extend her arms. Kya gently settled the child to Lin’s chest, guiding her to support his little head correctly. After Lin got the hang of it Kya backed away a few steps. “I’ll give you some privacy. I’ll be in the other room if you need me.” She smiled warmly to the new parents before she turned and left the bedroom.

The baby in Lin’s arms was a squishy thing with a puff of black, curly hair. Tenzin was immediately in love. He reached his hand to run a finger across the child’s round cheek. “Hey, baby boy. I’m your father,” he said, voice not louder than a whisper but so loaded with affection that no one would doubt his unwavering devotion to his newborn son.

Lin hadn’t said a word. She was exhausted and her head was spinning with a whirlwind of emotions. She just wordlessly stared at the child in her arms. The resentment she had felt towards the lump growing inside her melted away in a heartbeat when she looked at her baby slowly open his light grey eyes. This was her child. Her flesh and blood. Her family. Something no one could ever take away from her. She never wanted to be a mother, but when faced with the reality of now being one she accepted the role and humbled in front of the love nature installed in her.

The spell she was under was broken by Tenzin. He rested his head on hers and kissed her hairline. She suddenly became aware of how comfortable she felt. The baby in her arms and the man on her side felt right. In that single moment everything was perfect.

After a while she turned her head to Tenzin. “Do you want to hold him?” Her voice was low and raspy.

He nodded silently and reached his arms to take the baby from her. He stared deeply into his son’s eyes as if he was trying to wordlessly communicate everything he felt. His moment was interrupted by Kya, who asked for Tenzin to leave so she could finish up with Lin and let her get some well-deserved rest. Lin nodded and Tenzin gave a small kiss to her forehead before he left, their son in his arms.

When he sat down on the green couch in Lin’s living room, he realized the small human in his arms didn’t have a name. During Lin’s pregnancy he had only envisioned having a girl. Actually, he had never imagined Lin would have a son. Beifongs were a family of fierce women, so he had unconsciously expected to welcome another fierce green-eyed woman in his life. But here he was, holding a little boy with grey eyes identical with his own. “What could you be called, little guy?” He went through to all names in his mind to find something suitable to suggest Lin when she woke up. “Could you be Kiran? Or Tashi? Anil? Malo?” None seemed to fit. The baby’s eyes kept on wondering around the room while Tenzin tried to come up with a name that accurately described the child.

They stayed in peaceful silence for a long while as Tenzin summoned name after another from the back of his mind. “Hey, now I think I know what you’re called,” Tenzin smiled. “You look exactly like a Miko, don’t you? Miko Beifong. That’s a very formidable name for a very formidable man.”

Miko. Miko felt right. Tenzin felt immediately attached to the name and smiled wide with happiness. He would only have to convince Lin about it.

Kya interrupted his thoughts when she entered the room. “Lin’s all taken care of, washed up and probably asleep already. You should also try to get some sleep. I certainly need some.” She had a warm smile on her lips. She had slept more than he had, but she still had dark circles under her eyes. The sun had risen to reveal a morning like every other in Republic City, but to the man sitting with a newborn in his arms the morning was nothing short of a lifetime dream, too big to be said out loud, come true.


	10. Chapter 10

When little Miko was six months old he was a well taken care of, all round happy baby. He had dark curly hair, blue-grey eyes and nose just like his momma’s. Lin had often scoffed with amusement at how much the little boy already looked like Tenzin. His father appeared to be the greatest thing Miko had witnessed in his short life, as he always screamed with happiness whenever his daddy picked him up and gently rubbed his big nose against Miko’s tiny one. Or when he, much to his father’s disdain, got his chubby hands to Tenzin’s beard and yanked.

Tenzin and Lin had fallen to a comfortable routine with caring for the baby. While originally Pema had stayed in Air Temple Island to see if her marriage could still have a future, she relocated to the Northern Air Temple shortly after Miko was born. Although she loved and cared deeply for Tenzin, she did not want to compete for his attention. She saw the way his whole being lit up whenever he mentioned his son and it broke her heart. Their goodbyes had been emotional, but both knew it was for the best. After her departure Lin had been given a room on the Island so she and the baby could be closer to Tenzin.

Lin had a weird feeling about living on the Island, but she knew it was the only way she could comfortably ease back into her work schedule. She went back to the station four months after giving birth, picking up slowly with her administrational duties. Her body yearned to be back on the field, but she knew her baby still needed her too much to risk it or stay away too long. So she settled with working her desk few hours a day, intent on returning full-time when Miko turned one.

When Lin worked, Tenzin took care of his duties with Miko attached to his hip. He scheduled daily meditations on Miko’s naps, but otherwise he carried the baby with him. He didn’t really mind. The child, who, despite the canny resemblance to himself, reminded Tenzin of the woman he had loved since he was eight years old. The chunky little boy in his arms was all he had ever wanted from life, so he was only happy to spend time with him.

His relationship to the woman he had indeed loved since he was eight years old was more complicated, though. The soft hum he felt in his body when he thought about Lin had only grown stronger. He sometimes felt a pang of sadness on the end of his marriage, but the thoughts dissipated entirely every time he looked at his son’s mother. There was no denying it, Tenzin was definitely a goner in front of Lin. Had probably always been.

During the past six months Tenzin had given a lot of thought on his duty as the last of his kind. He was still torn with the same issues that originally drove the wedge between him and Lin. He knew Lin didn’t want more kids, and he knew he should not complain. He had expected to have none with Lin and yet he had Miko. But still, the dull pain of carrying the legacy of a whole nation dampened his happiness and resolve. If Miko was an airbender, Tenzin would not want to burden him with the same misery he had been gifted by his own father. So Tenzin needed another baby. If Miko was not an airbender, Tenzin would be back in square one. And in need for another baby. Every scenario led back to the very familiar pressure of procreation Tenzin had felt since he was a teenager.

His love for Lin, the same deep hum in his bones he had desperately tried to suppress when he courted a woman ready to give him everything, made everything so complicated. But he knew his mind was made up. He was ready to pour his heart out to Lin.

So, when Miko was six months old, his parents had the conversation they both had dreaded. After gently tucking the baby to his bassinet and watching him drift off to sleep hand in hand like they always did, Tenzin led Lin to the adjoining room she had been set up in. He motioned her to sit on the bed and she immediately knew this was the night. They both sat down and Tenzin took a deep breath.

“Lin. I’m not sure where to begin, but I think the time to do this is now. The past six months with you and Miko have been the happiest time of my life. Being with you feels so natural, like this had been our destiny all along. I don’t know how you feel about all this, but for me the only thing that would make our current situation better was if you…” He held a small pause and looked at their conjoined hands while Lin’s inquisitive green eyes scanned his face. “If you would be mine.”

Lin’s breathing got quicker. This was it. This was finally it. She had always been hooked on Tenzin, trying to detach when he broke up with her, but failed. Now he was laying it all bare in front her. She squeezed his hands before she started talking in a low voice. “Tenzin. I don’t want to get hurt again. It’s not easy to admit, but when you left you hurt me more than any physical pain I’ve ever felt. I want to trust you, but I need to be sure you’re not leaving ever again.” Her mind was racing. Yet again she was feeling vulnerable in front of Tenzin and she hated it. “I need to know if this time I will be enough.”

His answer was quick. “Yes. Yes, you are, and you will.”

“What if Miko is an earthbender?” That was the question on both of their lips that determined the future happiness of them both. They were quiet for a while and let the gravity of the situation set between them.

“Then he is.” Tenzin took a while to talk again. “Lin. I don’t want anyone else to bear my children. And this will be the only time I’m going to ask this. If you say no now, I will not push it. But I need to know this before we go any further. Could you, or rather would you, want to have another baby if we were to continue as a couple?”

Lin had thought about this just as much as Tenzin had. Her answer was ready. She looked him in the eye when she talked. “I have considered this a lot. I was sure I never wanted children before, and I’m not too fond of the idea of being pregnant again at this age, but being with Miko and seeing you take so much responsibility with him I’m not afraid to do it again. Not right now, but inevitably soon. And not with anyone else, only with you.” Her gaze didn’t falter from his eyes when a small tear rolled down his cheek and a smile caressed his lips.

Lin would have another baby with him. Not in any scenario he had played in his head did he imagine this. He scooped Lin in his arms and hugged her tight. “I love you. I love you,” he whispered when he kissed her neck.


	11. Chapter 11

Lin laughed a little at Tenzin’s confession of love, wrapping her arms around him. “I love you too, Airhead.” He chuckled as well before he tore himself away only to reach in for a kiss. As they melted into each other’s embrace, she welcomed his tongue to her mouth. He groaned in response and let his right hand descend to her hip while his left hand traced her spine. His pants were feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

When they came out for air, both breathing heavily, Lin talked with uncharacteristic softness in her low voice. “Hey. Let’s take it slow. It’s been a while since last time.”

Tenzin understood. The last time they had been intimate was in her office the night Miko was created. This was Lin’s first time since giving birth and he wanted her to be comfortable. He nodded in response, gently pushed Lin on the bed and climbed on top of her. “We’ll go as slow as you want. We have all the time in the world.” He kissed her gently and moved to kiss and nibble her neck, Lin’s quiet sighs as his roadmap.

Lin’s hands travelled down the wide plane of his back and caressed his neck when he kissed her collarbone. Although they agreed to take it slow, she felt they were definitely wearing too much clothes. She tugged at his robes, encouraging him to get rid of the thing.

Tenzin did her bidding, breaking their contact to strip the outer layer of his robes. Although they had done this hundreds of times, removing the traditional air nomad clothing never seemed to get easier. But they had time.

After he fumbled a while with his clothes and Lin laughed a bit at his growing frustration, Tenzin finally freed his upper body from the saffron cloth and let the fabric fall to the floor. His body was nothing Lin hadn’t seen before, but after everything they’d been through, she revelled the sight of muscular chest. His form reminded her of an antique sculpture depicting the perfect human form. She didn’t have a lot of time to drink him in before he kissed her again, slipping his hands under her white tank top. Lin sighed at the contact of his large hands on her skin. He was perfect. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered and felt him smile to her lips. “Likewise.”

His hands worked their way to her tender breasts and caressed them with a touch light as a feather. He was rewarded again by her soft sighs before Lin rose slightly to let him slip the garment off her body. Lin had always been muscular, more lean than soft, but after having a child her body had gained some new curves and softness where there used to be firmness. Tenzin looked at her fuller form eyes filled with adoration. She found Lin perfect, no matter what her body looked like.

Tenzin lowered his body on her, and their lips met again while they basked in the feeling of skin touching skin. Although Lin had been slightly nervous at the prospect of being intimate after giving birth, everything felt so right that all the worries dissipated from her mind, leaving only sensations of sweet pleasure in their wake. When Tenzin rested his hardness against her core, she shuddered with anticipation. She felt the very familiar knot of her body readying itself to welcome him building in her abdomen as Tenzin kissed her again. She definitely wanted more of him. “Take your pants off, I want to see what I signed up for,” she said coyly, earning a small laugh from her lover.

Tenzin smiled at her and more than happily obliged. He rose from on top of her to his knees and undid the strings holding his orange pants up. His member sprung from its confines as he started sliding the fabric down his hips and thighs, making Lin’s eyes sparkle with approval. He awkwardly removed the rest of the offending garment and turned his eyes on Lin. He was ready to take her right then and there, and it took all of his resolve to keep things slow. With a smirk he took one of Lin’s legs and started trailing small kisses up from her ankles. She giggled a bit when he got to her knees – she had always been ticklish – but her giggles stopped when his hand continued along her clothed thigh and brushed against her hot center. His fingers toyed with the strings of her pants and casually dipped under the waistband.

“Tenzin…” Her voice was a low warning, telling him he would be in trouble if he didn’t speed up. He lowered his head to her abdomen to kiss every inch of revealed skin as he started peeling the fabric off of her. She gave a moan when his lips found the soft dark curls in the apex of her thighs. “Tenzin, please…” Lin felt herself aching for his touch. His tongue caressed her slit as he progressed lower but didn’t give her enough of what she wanted. 

“Oh just get on with it already,” she said in exasperation, feeling done with waiting and teasing.

Tenzin chuckled between her legs. “Impassive as ever.”

Lin rolled her eyes in mock annoyance but was happy to see Tenzin rise and remove the rest of her trousers and underpants, leaving her finally completely naked. She spread her legs for him and he dived in to ease the ache at her core only he had a cure. A long sigh left Lin’s mouth as Tenzin’s tongue slowly slid along her wet folds.

As he tasted her and heard her enjoy his ministrations, Tenzin thought his blood was boiling. He was enjoying every second, pushing his rough tongue along her sensitive flesh. Her back arched and a long moan escaped her lips when the tip of his tongue started circling and flicking her sensitive nub. He wanted to push her over the edge before moving forward, but he was so excited his erection was nearing painful, so he resorted in a trick he knew would make Lin crazy. His lips tightened around her nub and he sucked. Her toes curled and she made a guttural scream due to the unexpected sensation. Tenzin licked and sucked in succession with a tantalizing speed that made her see stars. To finish what he started he slowly slid one nimble finger in her wetness and pumped slightly. 

That was enough to drive Lin to her climax. She came with a long moan and Tenzin thought he would lose his mind as he felt her walls clench around his finger. He slowly removed his finger when she came down from her high and relaxed, rising up to level himself with her body and leaning on his forearms. She kissed him in slow appreciation, enjoying the lewdness of tasting herself on his lips.

“You still got it, Airhead,” she said with her eyes half-lidded. “Now’s your turn.”

Lin gently pushed Tenzin off her body and to his back. She climbed to straddle him and revered in his piercing gaze. She had no idea where his self-restraint to finish her came from. The man was clearly a mess.

His breathing came ragged when she grabbed his throbbing member and positioned herself on top of it. She slowly slid his tip along her burning wetness. Her gaze was merciless as she teased him. “Tell me what you want, Tenzin.”

“Please…”

“Tell me and I just might make your wish come true.” She dipped his tip inside and was not disappointed when a small whimper escaped his lips.

“Fuck me, Lin. Please.”

This was what she wanted to hear. She slid on his length, pushing herself down until their hips met. They both let out moans of their own as their bodies joined. Lin had been nervous of how her body would react, but she felt only intense pleasure when Tenzin’s hands fell on her hips and she started to move. Tenzin tried to look at her moving up and down his length, but the sensation of finally being buried inside her was too much and his eyes fluttered closed. “Spirits, Lin,” he moaned, only urging her on. She picked up her pace and once in a while altered the angle of her hips, causing jolts of pleasure through her body. After a while the movements of Tenzin’s hips in response to hers became increasingly erratic and Lin knew he was close. She wanted him to go out with a bang, so she lowered herself on him one last time and squeezed the muscles surrounding his member. The new feeling sent him over the edge and his whole body shivered as he groaned and emptied himself in her depths.

Lin smiled at the pulsating feel where their bodies were still joined and lowered herself to kiss his lips as he rode out his high. They kissed languidly, both sated, and let their hands slowly caress each other. Lin only rose and moved to lay down on his side when she felt him starting to soften inside her.

“You’re incredible,” he whispered to her ear.

She smiled. This was how it was supposed to be.


	12. Chapter 12

A week from her fortieth birthday Lin gave birth to her second child. The pregnancy had been difficult – she had been severely nauseous for the first half and mostly bedridden the second. She had thrown obscenities at Tenzin when he tried to comfort her, blaming him for her agony. This was their own delicate dance of humor that on the outside could have seemed malicious, but to them only conveyed her love. She wouldn’t have gone through it for anyone else.

Yet her frustration melted away when she for the first time enveloped the small body of a newborn baby boy in her protecting arms. “I really thought it would be a girl this time. The more you know, huh.” She smiled tiredly and moved her gaze from the infant to Tenzin, who was lost at the sight of his new son. Her eyes dropped again at the child when she said, “Well, boys are easier to handle anyway. We’ll be alright, you.”

This time they had prepared and already had a name ready for the new addition. “Welcome to our family, Kaito. I’m your father.” Tenzin’s eyes glistened as he said his first words to his second child. He had also eagerly expected a girl but was not really disappointed at having another son. When facing something so perfect, how could you be disappointed?

Miko was absolutely exhilarated to wake up in the morning to the news that he was a big brother. Tenzin escorted his first-born son, small hand wrapped tightly around big one, to see his mother and new baby brother. During his two years of existence Miko’s resemblance to his father had only grown stronger, down to his calm and timid nature. Sometimes when he watched Miko play, Tenzin’s heart fluttered at the more and more likely possibility his son would be an airbender. When he sat Miko on the bed next to Lin with baby Kaito in her arms, he wondered if both of his boys would be like him. Whatever his children grew up to be, Tenzin’s heart swelled with love and pride at the sight of his small family. Miko gently patted Kaito’s dark brown hair when the baby opened his grey eyes, just the same as his father and brother’s. Their family was complete.

When Miko was four and a half years old, he asked his father what it felt like to move the wind.

Tenzin smiled warmly at his son and pulled him to his lap. “Bending the air around you feels like as if your body becomes limitless. You can reach wherever you want with a motion of your hand or move as quickly as you want with tap of your feet. Bending air feels like being free.” That was the best explanation he could give.

Miko’s small face lit up. “Daddy, I think I can do it too. Look!” He rolled his hand gently and sent a small breeze to his father’s face. Tenzin’s mouth fell agape, and soon enough he lifted his son into his embrace and rose up from his seat.

“You’re an airbender, Miko! You’re an airbender,” his voice faded into the smallest whisper as tears started rolling down his cheeks and his emotions took the better of him. The child who got his start from the most shameful of actions and derailed his whole life as he knew it eventually led him back to the arms of the love of his life and now freed him from the burden of being the last of his kind.

Tenzin was finally as carefree as the element he, and now his son, controlled.


End file.
